Varieties of democracy in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Varieties of democracy was 0.016 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Varieties of democracy in Saudi Arabia, 1789–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, varieties of democracy in Saudi Arabia stood at 0.016.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.7% on the previous year and unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, varieties of democracy in Saudi Arabia peaked at 0.02 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.008, in 1933.
That places Saudi Arabia 176th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 237 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0.016 | 0.016 | 0.016 | 1 |
| 1790s | 0.016 | 0.016 | 0.016 | 10 |
| 1800s | 0.016 | 0.016 | 0.016 | 10 |
| 1810s | 0.0163 | 0.016 | 0.019 | 10 |
| 1820s | 0.0118 | 0.01 | 0.019 | 10 |
| 1830s | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 10 |
| 1840s | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 10 |
| 1850s | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.0093 | 0.009 | 0.01 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.009 | 0.009 | 0.009 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.009 | 0.009 | 0.009 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.0083 | 0.008 | 0.009 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.008 | 0.008 | 0.008 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.0116 | 0.008 | 0.014 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.014 | 0.014 | 0.014 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.0132 | 0.013 | 0.014 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.014 | 0.014 | 0.014 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.015 | 0.013 | 0.016 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0184 | 0.017 | 0.019 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.017 | 0.014 | 0.02 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0148 | 0.014 | 0.016 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More social development data for Saudi Arabia
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 448 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 2,368 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Liberal democracy 0 (2025)
- Liberal Democracy Index 0.047 (2025)
- Human Rights Index 0.178 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Key features of human rights 0.178 (2025)
- Key features of electoral democracy 0.016 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is varieties of democracy in Saudi Arabia?
- Varieties of democracy in Saudi Arabia was 0.016 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest varieties of democracy recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.02 in 2010.
- What is the lowest varieties of democracy recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.008 in 1933.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for varieties of democracy?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 176th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is varieties of democracy rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Varieties of democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 237 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which political leaders are elected under comprehensive suffrage in free and fair elections, and freedoms of association and expression are guaranteed.